


Invention 13

by Fireloom



Series: Sex, Drugs and Chemical Defects [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Adlock, Bach, F/M, Music, Piano, Post-Reichenbach, Sherene, adlock yacht, classical, music fic, the music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 12:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8533408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireloom/pseuds/Fireloom
Summary: "Who's playing the frankly terrible Bach?" Mycroft asks with a bitter and slightly condescending tone as he walks from the landing into 221B’s living room, looking down at his little brother nestled in his chair, precious violin in hand. Adlock, Au, General Audiences, Drabble.





	

"Who's playing the frankly _terrible,_ Bach?" Mycroft asks with a bitter and slightly condescending tone as he walks from the landing into 221B’s living room, looking down at his little brother nestled in his chair, precious violin in hand.

The elder Holmes child is of course, referring to the notes of Johann sebastian Bach's “ _Invention 13_ ” played on the paino, drifting out from Sherlock's bedroom and into the rest of the flat.

"Irene," Sherlock answers, "and it's not terrible, she's practicing," he defends with an equally condescending tone, even though to an outsider's ear, her rendition of the song is indeed, terrible. To Sherlock however, the song is enchanting.  The first two bars of the composition, apart from a lapse in timing or an ill note every now and then, is flawless; the part she's practiced the most.

"I didn't know she plays," Mycroft comments, stepping forward and sitting elegantly in John's old chair, much the opposite to how Sherlock slumps halfway down the backing cousin of his own, feet pressed against the edge of the small coffee table between them and violin craddled in his arms like a small puppy.

"Shes quite good in fact," Sherlock continues absently, looking down at the strings of his own instrument. "Though her method is quite unconventional,” he adds in a conversational tone.

He likes listening to Miss Adler practice, likes to hear her mistakes, consistent in the way they're made but also ever changing and improving, a sense of progress...

"Why? Is it different?" Mycroft inquires as she moves onto the 3rd bar of her third playthrough. She misses a few notes and has to replay them, her fingering sloppy as she tries to correct the indiscretions she made on her last run. Sherlock joins her by absently plucking at his violin along with her tune.

"She can't read music," the detective states, his playing briefly halting as Irene returns to the beginning of the song for the fourth time since Mycroft showed up here; sherlock restarts his plucking with her.

Mycroft frowns at Sherlock. Traditionally taught men such as the Holmes children are, Mycroft knows no other means to learn a classical piece like “ _Invention 13_ ”, without sheet music. "How does she learn if she can’t read?"

"She listens," Sherlock starts, "and watches. She's become adept at learning by ear and eye," he explains. "Watching cover videos and listening to performances... it's how she learns."

As Sherlock speaks, Irene attempts the thoroughly unpracticed 6th and 7th bar, her tempo slowing in parts to accommodate for the unknown chords until she speeds up again in the easier combinations.

"I didn't know people actually do that, does it work?" Mycroft asks, tilting his chin up in question.

The tune suddenly stops after a particularly fumbled 10th bar, and instead a more professional sounding version of “ _Invention 13_ ” starts to play after a moment of silence, this time not coming from the thrumming of the piano wires but from squeaky and slightly jarring laptop speakers.

"It works," Sherlock states simply, "she's doing it now." He finishes with a nod of his head toward his bedroom, silently gesturing for Mycroft to listen...

Sherlock likes the song and the original composer, both of them being a large part of his musical childhood, but right now he despises this recording. He could argue that it's just because of the sacrilege that comes with playing such a beautiful piece on tinny, low quality speakers but, in reality, it's because _she's_ not playing it. Even though she stumbles on certain notes and her play style shifts inconsistently each time she repeats the introduction, Sherlock can't help but enjoy her version over all others he's heard.

The recording ceases as the short song ends and Irene’s rendition sings out to the living room again. This time, her tempo is slower and even, the keys more artistically pressed and the notes holding more finesse, just like the previous recording was; she copies it well. She reaches the 10th bar again but, this time, the song is more consistent in places where she would have otherwise completely stopped before.

 

"See?" Sherlock asks with a pointed look to Mycroft, "she's improving....”


End file.
